Online Pedagogy

Best Practices

Continue to focus on professional and educational best practices when approaching online learning! While the format and circumstances around emergency remote learning are different than in a physical classroom, it's essential to rely on existing pedagogical and content knowledge to adapt to the situation. Below are some considerations for planning remote learning needs, including various methods, tools, and best practices from across the state and nation.

Expectations

Teachers in our district utilizes various Learning Management System platforms including: Moodle, Canvas, Google Classroom, and Schoology. The most important consideration is that teachers, students, and even parents have a central location for accessing digital instructional materials, assignments, assessments, and other resources

Teachers

  • Common procedures & formatting across a school or district.

  • Availability and office hours.

  • Alignment across grade levels.

  • Designing for both mobile and desktop devices.

  • Expectations for teachers without Internet access at home.

Students

  • How and where to log in.

  • Expectations for time spent online.

  • Time-bound deadlines for assignments and access.

  • Expectations for supported devices & tech support.


Parents

  • Resources to support their students.

  • Information about and even access to the systems utilized.

  • Expectations and alternate options for homes without Internet or devices.


Using Video

Videos — both pre-recorded and live streamed — can be a powerful tool for online instruction! Some of the best instructional videos follow these guidelines:

  • Keep it short! If using pre-recorded video, consider breaking it into bite-sized pieces. Experienced online, flipped, or blended educators use a guideline of 1 minute of video for each grade or year in school. If using live streaming, be sure to keep it interesting. Plan online instruction in short segments — a few minutes of direct instruction followed by interactive segments.

  • Build in interactivity! It's easy for students to tune out during a long instructional video — whether it's prerecorded or live streamed. Consider using a tool like Edpuzzle to check for understanding while students watch the video, or have them create a project or turn in the notes they've taken while watching.

  • Teacher-created videos. There are benefits to teachers creating videos for their own students using tools like Screencastify. Many learners report that they enjoy hearing and seeing their own teachers, and many teachers enjoy the ability to teach online using their own methods, vocabulary, and approach. That said, don't expect perfection on a teacher-created video! Sometimes quirks can even make videos more engaging for students.

Offline Considerations

Equity for all students must be at the forefront of a successful remote learning plan. Keep in mind that some students may not be able to access the Internet or even have a device at all. Other students may have unreliable or slow Internet connections or other technical difficulties. Remote learning may sometimes need to happen offline.

Try to plan coursework that can be downloaded and completed offline. It may be necessary in some cases to deliver printed materials via mail or school bus couriers. While digital activities make remote learning easier, it's not always necessary or appropriate to do everything online.

Activities don't necessarily have to be digital! Design lessons that allow students to be engaged within their own environments. Hands-on activities keep learners engaged — consider activities like nature walks, family read alongs, simple science experiments, art projects, or PE challenges. These are available to almost every student and don't require a device or connectivity. Students can submit reflections and artifacts back to teachers either online or via mail, school bus couriers, or a physical drop-box if needed.

Additional Resources